The discoveries of the outstanding scientist Svante Arrhenius became the basis of modern physical chemistry. The name of this researcher is primarily associated with the theory of electrolytic dissociation, however, this diversified person also de alt with other issues. Thanks to him, the capital of Sweden at the end of the 19th century. revived its glory as a major center of chemical science.
Childhood and student years
Swedish scientist was born on February 19, 1859 in the family of a land surveyor near the ancient city of Uppsala. A year later, Gustav Arrhenius and Carolina Thunberg also had a daughter, Sigrid. Svante's father graduated from Uppsala University, and the boy's uncle was a famous botanist whose scientific work had a great influence on Swedish agriculture. Gustav Arrhenius dreamed of giving a higher education to his son. Therefore, in the early 1860s, when the family's financial situation improved, he moved with his children to Uppsala.
Svante began to read very early, and at the age of 6 he already began to help his father do treasury calculations. Two years later, he entered the 2nd grade of a private school. The boy was considered a very gifted child. Soon his father transferred him to the gymnasium, where he began to study mathematics and physics with great interest. At the age of 17, S. Arrhenius passed his final exams and entered the University of Uppsala, where the famous chemist Berzelius studied. Of the speci alties available at the educational institution, the young man chose physics.
After 2 years, Svante Arrhenius received a bachelor's degree, after which he continued to study natural sciences for three years. In 1881 he received a university degree. During the years of study, the young man perfectly mastered English, German and French, studied mathematics well and was fluent in modern problems of chemistry and physics. He was eager to start independent scientific work, but within the walls of the alma mater it was impossible.
Scientific activity
In 1881, S. Arrhenius left his hometown and went to the capital of Sweden - Stockholm. There he was offered to work in the laboratory of the Physical Institute of the Royal Academy of Sciences under the tutelage of Professor Edlund. A year later, Arrhenius was allowed to do independent research on the electrical conductivity of electrolyte solutions.
After 3 years, he defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Uppsala on the topic "Research on the galvanic conductivity of electrolytes." However, his work was greeted with skepticism, and he was denied the position of assistant professor at this educational institution, as the management did not want to compromise themselves.acceptance of the author of "crazy ideas". The path to recognition in the biography of Svante August Arrhenius was long and difficult. D. I. Mendeleev was one of the opponents of his theory.
Despite the criticism, he continued his research work. S. Arrhenius sent copies of his dissertation to several eminent scientists of that time. From some of them he received a very good assessment of his work, and the German chemist W. Ostwald invited him to work at the University of Riga. Favorable reviews of the luminaries of science gave grounds for receiving a scholarship from the Swedish Academy of Sciences, thanks to which S. Arrhenius went on a business trip abroad. He was able to work in the laboratories of Van't Hoff, Kohlrausch, Ostwald, Boltzmann.
In 1887 he finally formulated the theory of electrolytic dissociation. In 1891 Arrhenius returned to Stockholm and became a lecturer in physics at the Royal Institute of Technology. After 4 years, he received the title of professor at Stockholm University, and since 1899 the scientist became the rector of this educational institution.
Teaching activity in the biography of Svante Arrhenius occupies an important place. However, it took a lot of time and effort, and in 1905 he resigned from the post of rector in order to devote his life entirely to research work. Thanks to the patronage of the King of Sweden, funds were allocated from the Nobel Foundation for the construction of a physicochemical institute in Stockholm, of which Arrhenius remained director until the end of his life. Here was located hisapartment with a huge library.
Private life
Svante August Arrhenius met his future wife, Sophia Rudbeck, when he was 33 years old. She worked as an assistant at the Physics Institute and helped the scientist every day. In 1894, the young couple got married, and they had a son, but after 2 years they parted. Then the scientist married Maria Johansson. His eldest son went on to become an agricultural chemist.
As contemporaries note, S. Arrhenius was a loving husband, father and grandfather. Many friends from different countries visited his house. In his free time, he read fiction and played the piano.
Svante Arrhenius was by nature a strong, cheerful and he althy person. But as a result of constant overwork, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 66. On October 2, 1927, the scientist died in Stockholm from a serious illness. The body of S. Arrhenius was buried in Uppsala.
Scientific papers and publications
Peru this scientist owns more than 200 articles, books and brochures. The most famous and significant of them are:
- “Theory of Chemistry”;
- "Chemistry and modern life";
- "Problems of physical and space chemistry";
- "Modern theory of the composition of electrolytic solutions";
- "Quantitative laws in biological chemistry" and others.
On the pagesThrough his works, Svante Arrhenius tried to arouse interest in chemistry among the broad masses of the people and promoted the protection of natural resources. The rich epistolary heritage of the scientist, which exceeds a thousand letters, has also been preserved. They are stored in the library of the Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The idea of electrolytic dissociation
Svante Arrhenius's theory was simple: when dissolved, electrolyte substances decompose (or dissociate) into positively or negatively charged ions. Now every schoolchild knows about this, but at that time the atomistic concept dominated physics and chemistry. S. Arrhenius' statement was so breakthrough that many scientists refused to accept it.
According to his research, when an acid interacts with an alkali, the main product of the chemical reaction was water, not s alt. It also went against conventional wisdom. It took over 10 years for Svante Arrhenius to get these ideas accepted by the scientific community.
The conclusions of the scientist that the properties of acids are due to hydrogen ions, on which the electrical conductivity of solutions depends, had a huge impact on the further development of general chemical theories and attracted the attention of researchers to the relationship between electrical and chemical phenomena. S. Arrhenius, along with van't Hoff, laid the foundation for the development of chemical kinetics.
Interesting facts
Svante Arrhenius, in addition to developments in chemistry, was also interested in other areas of science: the nature of ball lightning, the effect of solar radiation on the Earth's atmosphere,getting antitoxins, explaining ice ages, aurora borealis; the study of volcanic activity and evolutionary astrophysics, the processes of digestion in animals.
He expressed the original idea of transferring living organisms from one planet to another using the force of light pressure. In 1907, the scientist published the book "Immunochemistry", and his theory of electrolytic dissociation laid the foundation for the study of physiological processes at the cellular and molecular level.
Svante Arrhenius took part in a polar expedition in 1896. He was among those who met the legendary schooner "Fram" under the control of Nansen. The ship was returning from a three-year voyage in the Arctic ice.
On assignment from the Swedish government, he was also studying the possibility of technically using waterfalls to generate electricity.
Awards and titles
S. Arrhenius is the first Swedish chemist to win a Nobel Prize. In 1901 he became a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences. Many years later, membership in the academies was already given to him in absentia in such centers of world science as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Göttingen, Madrid, Rome, Petrograd, Brussels, Washington, Boston and others.
Svante Arrhenius received an honorary doctorate in the following sciences:
- philosophy (Cambridge, Oxford, Leipzig, Paris);
- medicine (Groningen, Heidelberg).
Along with D. I. Mendeleev, he was awarded the Faraday Medal from the British Chemical Society, as well asDavy Medal from the Royal Society of London.
